Hi socal gal,
Don't despair! Veronica is right, you just haven't found the right places to look yet. Yes it takes time, but you can get good deals here.
Placemakers prices are way too high but if you are doing a renovation you can get an account there and get discounts on almost everything. Just tell them its a LARGE renovation and you will be buying lots of stuff so you need a proper discount. That's how every diy'er does things here. I have accounts everywhere or use other peoples. (I get 40% discount on resene paints and I still think they're expensive!) You can often also go to wholesalers direct, get your sockets at the electrical wholesaler, your plumbing stuff at the plumbing wholesaler etc.
As for kitchen cabinets, it is surprisingly cheap to go to a joiner and have them custom made. Get a couple of quotes, haggle a bit and you will end up with a fantastic custom made kitchen!
Secondhand stuff is incredibly expensive here, I've no idea how that works especially since most of it is utter rubbish, ready for the tip. Buying new is much more cost effective but again you need to shop around and bargain !
Really, once you find your way around and figure out how things work here things will get better (and cheaper)!
Miep
